This tutorial is also relevant for newer versions of Linux and Flash Player too!

If you are a Windows user considering moving over to the Linux world, one of the more critical issues pressing
you is the question of Flash playback - will you be able to enjoy flash movies and games in Linux? The simple
answer is: yes! You will be able to do the same things you're used to in Windows, be it watching flash movies
and animation or playing simple web-based flash games.

I'm going to show you how terribly simple the whole thing is - as easy as spreading butter on some French
toast. I'll demonstrate this using Ubuntu Linux, an extremely popular and friendly distro, and Firefox,
probably the best browser overall. Moreover, I'll show you three different ways of doing it, starting with the
simplest.

Install Flash through Firefox

Missing plugin message

When you enter a website containing Flash content, you should get sort of a warning from your browser,
identical to the one you'll see when browsing in Windows, with Firefox or other browsers. Here, we get this
message while trying to watch a music clip on Youtube:

All you need to do is click on Install Missing Plugins... to obtain Flash.

Choose and confirm installation

You will have the choice between Adobe Flash Player, the de facto Flash plugin, and possibly one or more
alternatives. For example, when installing Flash in Ubuntu 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon, the other options is Gnash SWF
Player, an open-source Flash movie player. The choice is up to you, but the simplest and most transparent
choice for the majority of user would be to install Adobe Flash Player.

After that, you'll have to confirm your choice. The Flash Player 9 package is called called flashplugin-nonfree.

Installation complete

After a few moments, the installation will be completed. You will have to restart Firefox for the changes to
take effect.

Test installation

Naturally, you should test the installation. Not surprisingly, the choice of the music clip on Youtube is
coincidentally the finest piece of music ever written - Jan Hammer's soul-healing Crockett's Theme from the
fabulous Miami Vice series. Ah, the 80s ...

Install Flash using Debian (.deb) package (installer)

If, for some reason, your browser does not prompt you to install the missing plugins, you will have to manually
download and install them. This can happen if a new version of the Flash Player has just been released - or if
you're running a beta version of either your browser or the operating system. For example, Firefox in Ubuntu
8.10 Intrepid Ibex Beta does not prompt you for missing plugins.

The solution is to head to the (vendor's) website and download the package, in this case a Debian (.deb)
installer. I'll demonstrate with Adobe Flash Player 10.

Download Debian (.deb) package

Run installer

Debian packages, for all practical purposes, are identical to Windows .exe files. Double-click, provide your
password and follow on-screen instructions, if any. In this case, just wait for the installer to finish.

Test setup

Start Firefox and enjoy!

Install Flash using tar.gz archive

This may sound frightening, but it is quite simple, too. You will have to download a file, extract the archive
and then run the installer. Extracting a tar.gz archive is identical to
extracting a .zip or a .rar archive on Windows.

The next step differs from a typical Windows installation in that you will have to run the installer contained
in the extracted archive by typing into the command line. Do not let this frighten you.

Download archive

Again, I'll demonstrate using the Adobe Flash Player. This time, instead of downloading the .deb installer, go for the .tar.gz archive (for Flash Player
10).

Extract archive

Now, extract the archive. This can be done through the GUI.

Run installer (on the command line)

You can install Flash globally, for all applications, or just for a specific browser. In the case of the
former, you will have to use sudo. In the case of the latter, you can run the installation without
sudo. Navigate into the folder where you have extracted the archive and then execute the installation script:

./flashplayer-installer

Follow the on-screen instructions:

Test setup

Again, we test with another jewel from the 80s - this time, Adam Ant.

Other

If you're interested, you can also read these two articles, where I have already shown the procedures mentioned
above:

Furthermore, it is also possible to install (or remove) the Flash Player using the apt-get on the command line or by searching and installing packages via the (Synaptic)
package manager.

You may prefer this, because this will save you the hassle of manually removing the Flash Player if and when
the need arises. Please note that this will install the Flash Player globally, for all applications that
require them.

For Adobe Flash Player 9, the installation / removal commands are as follows:

Conclusion

That's it! Whichever method you choose, you should be fine. The installation of the Flash Player is a simple
business. All in all, one less reason to be afraid of Linux and join the happy community. Enjoy!

P.S. In follow-up articles, I'll show you how to download Flash movies, how to play them on your machine, how
to convert to other movie formats, and even how to extract music from the video files.